Is this the absolute coolest movie ever?
Honestly, I think I’d pay my $12 just to see that opening scene again.
Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a getaway driver, the best in the biz despite his young age, according to his boss, Doc (Kevin Spacey). But Baby has a glitch: he wears ear buds constantly to fight tinnitus. So to him, the whole world is a soundtrack. And you’re about to enter his world.
Doc never works with the same crew twice, so we see a rotation of criminals including Darling (Eiza Gonzalez), Griff (Jon Bernthal), Buddy (Jon Hamm), and my personal favourite, Bats (Jamie Foxx), personal motto: “I’m the one with mental problems in the group. Position taken.” GUYS, HE’S NOT KIDDING.
But don’t get attached to any of those fellows. This is Baby’s movie. He’s being coerced into this life of crime, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t good at it. He is, however, trying to get out, and nothing is as inspiring as the love of a good woman. So when Deborah (Lily James) soft shoes into his life, he’s got a boner for the open road. But wait – you didn’t think getting out would be that easy, did you?
This is a film by Edgar Wright, whom I love, unreservedly. This is a very different sort of film from him, but he’s already thrust himself to the top of the game. When you catch your breath at the end of the film, you’ll have to answer me truly: have you ever seen action to equal it? Ansel Elgort’s character Baby is obsessed with two things: music, and cars. And so is the film; car chases and music both turned WAY up to 11. Anything that gets between them is incidental.
Wright is a phenomenal writer, and Baby Driver is just as quippy and quotable as any other in his oeuvre. The music jangles, sometimes wildly incongruous to what’s developing on screen, sometimes deliciously ironic, but it stitches the film together between Wright’s explosive action sequences. Wright’s films are always kinetic. His own exuberance for film making comes across on the screen, is barely contained by it, in fact.
If Ryan Gosling from La La Land fucked Ryan Gosling from Drive, Baby Driver is what you’d get. On paper, this isn’t the kind of movie I normally care about, or for, but on the screen it sang to me, I fuck-yeahed in the dark of the theatre, and I can’t wait until August when I can see it again. [LUCKY US, THE RELEASE GOT MOVED UP TO JUNE 28 DUE TO THE WELL-DESERVED ACCLAIM THIS GOT AT SXSW!]
Incidentally, I have a mini poster signed by Edgar Wright himself. If you’re interested in winning it, Follow us on Twitter (@AssholeMovies), and retweet the relevant post. Comments here are worth extra entries. Good luck! [THIS IS LONG GONE (CONGRATS TO THE WINNER) BUT FEEL FREE TO RETWEET ALL OUR POSTS OUT OF THE GOODNESS OF YOUR HEART.]
Also: super DUPER bonus: check out the comments section for ROBERT RODRIGUEZ doing a Q&A with Edgar Wright and stars Eiza Gonzalez, Ansel Elgort & Jon Hamm.
My kind of movie!
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My film-buff son is already talking about this movie. He loves Edgar Wright too. Off to Twitter now to tweet the post for a chance to win that poster for him!
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Enjoyed reading this.
Happy weekend. Will glad to have you at my site too
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After your review, I will BUY this one!
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The opening chase may be the best ever recorded on film. It’s amazing. The others in the movie (and there are several) are almost as good – they are only lesser because they are more messy (intentionally so, as Edgar Wright stated in the Q&A, as things get worse and worse for Baby). And there’s something magical about the way the music is tied into everything.
This will be one of the best action films to come out in 2017, if not THE best. It should be a lock for a best picture nomination too. I loved every minute.
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Really? You’re calling Oscar on this one?
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I’m calling it. It deserves one. It’s very Mad Max-ish for me – it’s not your typical Oscar nominee but the writing, practical effects and direction are groundbreaking and deserve to be recognized.
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This movie sounds original, witty, crazy and fun-I can’t wait!
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I’d maybe watch it because, Kevin Spacey, but … I dunno …
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P.S. count me out for the raffle. 🙂
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Oh , understandable, not everyone loves a terrific, well-made movie that also happens to be tonnes of fun. 😉
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Heh, heh, heh … absolutely agree. 😀
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Sounds like a lot of fun for a lot of people I know. Not into car chases myself but I do love tunes played loudly.
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I don’t give a shit about car chases either!
This might be the first such movie that I liked, and in fact I LOOOOVED it.
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I’m definitely going to see this. It’s Edgar Wright. He puts my ass in the seat!
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Amen!
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I cannot wait to see Baby Driver. The trailer had me amped up. Good music, awesome powerslides, what more could a girl ask for? Edgar Wright is the director (I adore him too) plus a talented cast. Ansel had me with “The Fault in Our Stars.” Great review, Jay!
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Yeah, I admit I liked him in that too. He’s well-cast here.
The trailer doesn’t even do it justice. It’s so cool in the execution!
And Wright keeps it funny too.
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This is definitely one on the watch list, Jay!
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I haven’t stopped talking about this film since I heard it was being made. The trailer made me ever more excited.. How friggin amazing does it look? Ahhhh, can’t wait!
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Saw the trailer for this yesterday (before the abysmal CHiPs, lmao), and I am geeked. This looks to be a winner, great action, fun script, and cool characters.
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Yes! We saw the trailer before Life and I have to say: the trailer does NOT remotely do it justice!
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Oh, okay. I had seen this title someplace or other and wondered what it was about. There wasn’t a lot of context. This explains it. Thanks.
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Can’t wait for this. And since it’s an homage to Walter Hill’s ‘The Driver’, makes it doubly so.
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I saw the trailer for the first time last Friday and clearly…no one puts Baby in a corner. Insane driving scenes look like the real deal.
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Great post 🙂 I am so excited to see this when it opens in my area in June of this year. I am a huge fan of director/writer Edgar Wright. Speaking of which, remember Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? That was awesome and unique. But then again, every film in his filmography are masterpieces. Anyway, keep up the great work as always 🙂
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Well, there you go then! Another that I wasn’t aware of (just a wee bit out of touch). Expecting good things, though… Mr Wright rarely puts a foot wrong.
Always good to have a proper good car chase, too.
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Awesome review! I saw the film last night and completely agree, this movie is just so damn cool. Please check out my review: https://nerd-feed.com/2017/06/20/baby-driver-movie-review/
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Great review. I have to admit I am not a huge Edgar Wright fan(ducks objects thrown at him by film geeks everywhere), but this sounds like it is right up my alley. This is getting great write ups, particularly Fox. Will check this out.
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I saw an ad for this and thought someone was trying to do a Fast & Furious thing so wasn’t interested, but I am now!
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Saw this last Tuesday and will certainly be going back to see it again when it is properly released in the UK!
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Great review, I loved this movie. I’ve done my own if anyone wants to check it out.
https://willstvandfilmreviews.com/2017/06/30/baby-driver-review/
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I usually hate action movies like Fast and Furious etc but this, this was a piece of art. I felt it in my bones and in my toes because they were dancing along to the beat the entire time. I loved the opening scene, and the smooth sailing sequence that followed Baby to the coffee shop. The plot wasn’t outstanding, but the film was made so beautifully that I was just watching for the pure stunning beauty of it.
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